WWJD vs Government
Have you ever been in a political discussion and the person, usually knowing that you believe in Christ, demands to know WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?), to try to convince you of their side of the debate? I’ve always found it interesting - or maybe the word I’m looking for is “comforting” - how little instruction there is in the Bible regarding government. Let’s look at a couple of verses that we can find in the New Testament to examine this point:
“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” - Romans 13:1-7
“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme,” - 1 Peter 2:13
Many years ago, one of my friends shared something with me. My friend and I both had the same job. We were actuaries, or people who determine the price of insurance and how much money to set aside to pay claims and more. We started our actuarial careers at the same company many years ago and went in different directions. Anyway, he became a consulting actuary working with property-casualty risk (like automobile insurance and corporate risk insurance). One year, one of his clients was the Chick-Fil-A Corporation and he had just finished some work for them. They were so appreciative, they invited him to a ceremony where they award a full college scholarship to a person that submits an application with an essay about what they intend to do with the education. The winner was a young lady. At the ceremony, she had to explain to the audience what she intended to do with this educational opportunity. He told me that he could tell that she was genuinely appreciative of the opportunity being given to her. She vowed to use the gift to its utmost benefit and to share it with society after she graduated. He found himself comparing her reaction to winning this award with other people he had been exposed to who made use of an entitled government program. His reflection, and I would agree, that individuals just don’t feel the same between those things they have to work and strive for and those that they don’t. He then questioned whether we were doing the right thing as citizens and taxpayers by creating these programs to help the faceless government take care of our friends and neighbors instead of doing it ourselves.
Sending money so that someone can take care of other people’s needs is the cheaters way out. God intended each of us to take care of one another personally. Abdicating that to some government program or charity doesn’t alleviate you of that charge.
“Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, 'You go, and do likewise.’” - Luke 10:30-37
WWJD?
“And he answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.’” - Luke 10:27
